A lateral surgical approach to the larynx may impair cervical esophageal function in dogs.

Objective: To determine whether muscle-sparing laryngoplasty results in fewer changes in swallowing function compared to standard surgical treatment for laryngeal paralysis.

Animals: 12 clinically normal sexually intact male Beagles.

Procedures: Group A dogs (n = 4) had a standard approach to the larynx, with left arytenoid cartilage lateralization.

Improved neurocognitive performance in FIV infected cats following treatment with the p75 neurotrophin receptor ligand LM11A-31.

HIV rapidly infects the central nervous system (CNS) and establishes a persistent viral reservoir within microglia, perivascular macrophages and astrocytes. Inefficient control of CNS viral replication by antiretroviral therapy results in chronic inflammation and progressive cognitive decline in up to 50% of infected individuals with no effective treatment options. Neurotrophin based therapies have excellent potential to stabilize and repair the nervous system.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Neuropathogenesis: A Model for HIV-Induced CNS Inflammation and Neurodegeneration.

Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV), similar to its human analog human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), enters the central nervous system (CNS) soon after infection and establishes a protected viral reservoir. The ensuing inflammation and damage give rise to varying degrees of cognitive decline collectively known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Because of the similarities to HIV infection and disease, FIV has provided a useful model for both in vitro and in vivo studies of CNS infection, inflammation and pathology.

Evaluation of 3D Additively Manufactured Canine Brain Models for Teaching Veterinary Neuroanatomy.

Physical specimens are essential to the teaching of veterinary anatomy. While fresh and fixed cadavers have long been the medium of choice, plastinated specimens have gained widespread acceptance as adjuncts to dissection materials. Even though the plastination process increases the durability of specimens, these are still derived from animal tissues and require periodic replacement if used by students on a regular basis.

Probable primary polydipsia in a domestic shorthair cat.

Case Summary: A 10-month-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat presented with a 4 month history of polyuria and polydipsia. After a thorough diagnostic work-up the only abnormal findings were hyposthenuria and an elevated random plasma osmolality level. Trial therapy with the oral and ophthalmic forms of desmopressin failed to concentrate urine.

Conditioning laboratory cats to handling and transport.

As research subjects, cats have contributed substantially to our understanding of biological systems, from the development of mammalian visual pathways to the pathophysiology of feline immunodeficiency virus as a model for human immunodeficiency virus. Few studies have evaluated humane methods for managing cats in laboratory animal facilities, however, in order to reduce fear responses and improve their welfare. The authors describe a behavioral protocol used in their laboratory to condition cats to handling and transport.

The use of a T-maze to measure cognitive-motor function in cats ().

Few tests have been developed to test the cognitive and motor capabilities of domestic cats, in spite of the suitability of cats for specific studies of neuroanatomy, infectious diseases, development, aging, and behavior. The present study evaluated a T-maze apparatus as a sensitive and reliable measure of cognition and motor function of cats. Eighteen purpose-bred, specific-pathogen-free, male, neutered domestic shorthair cats (), 1-2 years of age, were trained and tested to a T-maze protocol using food rewards.

Cell trafficking through the choroid plexus.

The choroid plexus is a multifunctional organ that sits at the interface between the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It serves as a gateway for immune cell trafficking into the CSF and is in an excellent position to provide continuous immune surveillance by CD4 (+) T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells and to regulate immune cell trafficking in response to disease and trauma. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control trafficking through this structure.

Transmigration of macrophages across the choroid plexus epithelium in response to the feline immunodeficiency virus.

Although lentiviruses such as human, feline and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV, FIV, SIV) rapidly gain access to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the mechanisms that control this entry are not well understood. One possibility is that the virus may be carried into the brain by immune cells that traffic across the blood-CSF barrier in the choroid plexus. Since few studies have directly examined macrophage trafficking across the blood-CSF barrier, we established transwell and explant cultures of feline choroid plexus epithelium and measured trafficking in the presence or absence of FIV.

Suppression of immunodeficiency virus-associated neural damage by the p75 neurotrophin receptor ligand, LM11A-31, in an in vitro feline model.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), produces systemic and central nervous system disease in its natural host, the domestic cat, that parallels the pathogenesis seen in HIV-infected humans. The ability to culture feline nervous system tissue affords the unique opportunity to directly examine interactions of infectious virus with CNS cells for the development of models and treatments that can then be translated to a natural infectious model. To explore the therapeutic potential of a new p75 neurotrophin receptor ligand, LM11A-31, we evaluated neuronal survival, neuronal damage and calcium homeostasis in cultured feline neurons following inoculation with FIV.

The neuropathogenesis of feline immunodeficiency virus infection: barriers to overcome.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1, is a neurotropic lentivirus, and both natural and experimental infections are associated with neuropathology. FIV enters the brain early following experimental infection, most likely via the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers. The exact mechanism of entry, and the factors that influence this entry, are not fully understood.

Ethanol suppression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell trafficking across brain endothelial cells in immunodeficiency virus infection.

Earlier studies suggested that the combination of alcohol use and immunodeficiency virus infection resulted in more severe neurologic disease than either condition individually. These deleterious interactions could be due to increased immune cell and virus trafficking or may result from interactions between ethanol and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated toxicity within the brain. To determine the extent to which increased trafficking played a role, we examined the effect of ethanol on the migration of different peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) subsets across a brain endothelial cell monolayer.

Endothelial cell suppression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell trafficking in vitro during acute exposure to feline immunodeficiency virus.

Trafficking of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into the brain is a critical step in the initiation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated central nervous system disease. To examine potential factors that control trafficking during the earliest stages of infection, PBMC transmigration across a cultured feline brain endothelial cell (BECs) monolayer was measured after selective exposure of various cell types to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Infection of the PBMCs with FIV increased the trafficking of monocytes and CD4 and CD8 T cells.

Clinical anatomy of the canine brain using magnetic resonance imaging.

The purpose of this study was to produce an magnetic resonsnce (MR) image atlas of clinically relevant brain anatomy and to relate this neuroanatomy to clinical signs. The brain of a large mixed breed dog was imaged in transverse, sagittal, and dorsal planes using a 1.5 T MR unit and the following pulse sequences: Turbo (fast) spin echo (TSE) T2, T1, and T2- weighted spatial and chemical shift-encoded excitation sequence.

Compartmentalization and evolution of feline immunodeficiency virus between the central nervous system and periphery following intracerebroventricular or systemic inoculation.

The emergence of distinct neuropathogenic strains resulting from the adaptation and the unique evolution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the brain may contribute to the development of HIV-induced neurological diseases. In this study, the authors tracked early changes in virus evolution and compartmentalization between peripheral tissues and the central nervous system (CNS) after intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Cerebrospinal fluid is an efficient route for establishing brain infection with feline immunodeficiency virus and transfering infectious virus to the periphery.

Like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) invades and infects the central nervous system (CNS) soon after peripheral infection. The appearance of viral RNA is particularly prominent in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), suggesting an efficient route of virus transfer across the blood-CSF barrier. This raises the concern whether this route can establish a stable viral reservoir and also be a source of virus capable of reseeding peripheral systems.

Cerebrospinal fluid centesis at the cerebellomedullary cistern of kittens.

We needed an effective technique for obtaining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from young (2- to 18-week-old) kittens. Standard veterinary technique was not suitable, so we adapted a previously published technique for rats. We first established an effective isoflurane-only anesthetic protocol for young kittens.